Annika Homölle's Testimonial

Q: How has our company helped you bridge your academic learning to the professional work environment?

A: During my internship with Dezan Shira & Associates I have been able to test many of the theories I have learned during my publishing degree, giving me great inspiration for my dissertation. Working for the German Desk at Asia Briefing has given me the opportunity to combine my strengths as well as to learn many new things. Our small team was able to be truly creative, bring in own ideas and to be proactive. I know I would not have been able to take over and complete this many projects anywhere else and with any less support than from everyone at Dezan Shira & Associates.

Q: Did you receive adequate support to do your job?

A: I was always able to ask questions whenever I was not sure about a task or when I needed feedback about my work. Every intern is even encouraged to ask questions and ask for help.

Q: Do you feel this internship will help you in your studies or career ahead?

A: Oh yes. I am a publishing student interested in both business and Asia. I was able to combine all my professional interests with this internship and have gained experience in all of these fields.

Q: How do you rate your internship here overall?

A: I really enjoyed working for Dezan Shira & Associates. From previous intern experiences I was very surprised to find how organised the intern process here is: At the beginning of every internship, one of your supervisors will ask you what you would like to gain from this experience and this will be tracked over the course of the internship so that, in the end, you can compare what you wanted to do and what you actually did. I was happy to realise that I worked on many great projects I had not even foreseen at the beginning of my time in Beijing.

Q: Would you recommend working for DSA to your friends and classmates?

A: I believe that internships are a very personal experience, no matter when and where they are pursued. It does not only depend on the company but also on the intern. I think that pursuing an internship with Dezan Shira & Associates is great for proactive young professionals who want to test their own ideas and learn from a great international team. Managing many different tasks and deadlines at once can be quite stressful at times but my learning curve has not been this intensive for a long time. I can recommend working with Dezan Shira & Associates to anyone who wants to have this kind of experience.

Q: What aspect of your job did you enjoy most?

A: I really enjoyed working with our team in the Beijing office. Everyone was so nice and open although I don’t speak any Chinese and only picked up a word or 2 here and there and – due to my short stay in China – did not attempt to really learn it at all. Nevertheless, it was great fun working with my international and Chinese colleagues, learning about the Chinese culture and business landscape. I really liked how much faith my supervisors have in their interns, letting them represent the company at public events, networking with fascinating individuals from all over the world. This has not only helped me bring further our partnership program but also my personal network of contacts that I can build on from now on.

Q: What aspect of your job did you enjoy least?

A: I am still undecided whether I liked or disliked having to qualify leads for the company’s CRM (Customer Relationship Management). It required me to learn more about the Business Development side and the contacts of the firm. But, at the same time, I felt very insecure whenever I had to touch the CRM as I was never formally introduced to the system. This insecurity really scared me.

Q:I would like to welcome your suggestions in order to improve BD and Marketing in your office.

A: As a last comment, I would like to add that doing an internship in a foreign country is not only great because of the time spent in the office. I was able to enjoy many touristy and non-touristy spots in and around Beijing together with my co-workers and with the people I met at networking events and during my free time. I met many great people that I hope to see again one day and have made many great memories that I would not have liked to miss. I will miss our crazy DSA family a lot being back at home. Everyone is so lovely and completely crazy in their own way.